Impulse and Accusation
by fictionalcandie
Summary: Sirius Black has something unpleasant that he needs to discuss with Lily Evans, and she discovers this when he corners her one afternoon. Oneshot. No pairing, preLEJP.


**Disclaimer:** Characters and places do not belong to me. The world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR.

**Author's Notes:** Hm, well, this is a bit different than what I usually write. It has the same people (jeeze I should try writing something that _didn't _involve Sirius), but it's... just not what I usually do.

Review, please. You know you really want to.

**o.o.o.o**

The day after Lily Evans finally agreed to go on a date with James Potter, she found herself in a deserted corridor near the library. She could have sworn that there'd been at least one other person around when she'd passed this way a couple of minutes ago, but now it was completely still and empty.

And then Sirius Black stepped out from behind one of the statues, his wand draw but pointed at the floor. His expression was grim and serious, his eyes cold, his grip on his wand the same loose, flexible one she'd seen Flitwick use when he'd demonstrated proper dueling techniques several years ago.

Despite murmurs in the rest of the school and even sometimes his performance in Charms or DADA, Lily had never been afraid of Black before; she'd always considered him to be too foolishly cavalier to be any sort of threat. At that moment, however, she thought she might know why it was that even the Slytherins would push him only to a point and absolutely no further. She stumbled to a swift halt, staring as he stared back at her.

"Black," she eventually managed to half-gasp, embarrassingly surprised.

"Evans," he returned coldly, and she fought down a shiver. In recent years he'd taken to calling her by her first name, since she found the familiarity innocently annoying, almost the same thing as what he did to Severus Snape. His return to formality meant something, but she couldn't begin to think what.

"I didn't expect-- What are you doing here?" she demanded, her tone light and more or less friendly.

He didn't react to the unspoken reprimand in her voice. "I was waiting for you," he replied instead and took a step closer.

Her grip on her books tightening convulsively, Lily took a nervous step backwards, and tried frantically to think of what she might have done to anger him _this much_.

"For me?" she asked, tremulously. "Why, for Heaven's sake?"

One dark eyebrow lifted fractionally and lowered again immediately. Black's wand hand twitched just slightly. "Yesterday afternoon, outside Transfiguration, James asked you out."

"James is always asking me out," she murmured, momentarily forgetting -- in her shock at Black's behavior -- that she'd finally said yes to his best friend. Until, that was, he reminded her, ruthlessly snapping out the statement like an accusation.

"Yes, but _usually_, you're rejecting him, aren't you?" he questioned.

Beginning to get an idea what this whole thing might be about, Lily paled. "Sirius, the whole school saw me accept him. You--"

But Black wasn't about to let her get away with an declaration of the sort. He retorted, "And the whole school's seen you turn him down every other time for the past five years."

During the few moments of silence that followed, Lily clutched her books to her chest and considered the man before her.

Then, slowly, choosing her words carefully, she asked, "... You honestly don't think I meant it, do you?"

"No, I don't," he announced firmly. His eyes flashed dangerously.

Lily swallowed convulsively. She offered quietly, "James obviously does."

"For years now James has been living in a fantasy world where you were the epitome of feminine perfection," snapped Black, and for the briefest moment he looked uncontrollably restless, like he wanted desperately to get out of his skin.

Lily's mouth fell open a little and she stared at him.

Black started to close in on her, one slow, stalking step at a time. She moved with him, backing as he advanced, but his steps were larger and he gained ground quickly. With mock curiosity, he murmured her, "I've watched him pine after you for years, and you've never once shown any interest until now. Why should I really believe you've changed your opinion of him?"

"You could ask me, and see what I say," she suggested with faint desperation. She gave a single swift cry as she felt her back collide with the corridor wall, and realized that he'd effectively trapped her completely.

"Yes, I could, except I don't trust you," he explained, his voice and words rasping callously over her nerves. His left hand came up and rested against the stone wall near her shoulder; he leaned in.

"I--" she attempted to say.

"He's in love with you," Black informed her bluntly, "did you realize that?"

Lily's breath caught. Of course, she knew that James fancied her something extreme, everyone knew that. That he might actually be well and truly in love with her was just something that she hadn't ever considered. "No, he isn't," she insisted, reflexively defensive.

The tip of his wand dug into the soft flesh just underneath her chin, forcing her head up to where he had a perfect view of her face. Black's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, but they were so very close that she couldn't avoid noticing. His voice, when he next spoke, was soft, almost deadly.

"He is, and he's not going to make any secret of it."

Lily watched his mouth move, obscenely fascinated. When his words penetrated the swirling mist that he'd reduced her brain to, her lower lip, bitten slightly bloody in her recent anxiety over his intentions, trembled and she found she couldn't speak.

"Are you messing with him, Lily Evans?" Black hissed sharply, his face very close to hers. She could feel, just barely, his breath brushing across her skin, colder than she'd expected it. Her cheeks were flushed with fear and confusion, but his were cold and pale, his features hardly moving. "Because if you are, I swear to Merlin, I will make you wish you'd never even heard of James Potter, Hogwarts, or witches and wizards."

Lily opened and closed her mouth several times, but nothing came out at first. "You--" she managed to begin, at last, but then had to stop again.

He cut her off harshly, snarling, "I can do it too."

"I believe you," whispered Lily, because she _did_; it was obvious that Black meant it. He was bloody _serious_.

"Good." He nodded sharply and lowered his arms, adding sternly, "Then you'd better remember what I said."

"I will," Lily whispered, and she _would_. This conversation was not something she thought she'd ever be able to forget. Not that volatile glint in Black's eyes, either.

"Good," he repeated, taking a half a step back. She didn't even try to move, and with an approving, nearly malicious little smirk, he retreated completely.

Tentatively, feeling as if she was testing him, Lily inched away from the wall, watching his face the entire time. She couldn't read anything in his expression, but he didn't stop her, so at last she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oy, what's all this?" inquired a voice that they both recognized instantly. James had just rounded the corner and was staring at them in surprise. Lily felt an abrupt and intense rush of relief that Black had stepped away from her already.

"Oh, I was just congratulating Lily on her good taste in saying yes to you at last," Black answered nonchalantly, his smile and shrug perfectly concealing that just moments ago he'd been threatening her.

James beamed delightedly, completely unsuspicious, and Lily realized that Sirius Black could convince anyone of anything he wanted. She shivered, and rushed over to twine her arm through James's, because the only thing about Black she knew for certain any longer was that he would never, ever do anything to hurt or upset James. She had a sudden need to feel safe, and he was just as suddenly the only place she could do that. Sirius looked at them, and his smile widened into what, on any other day, she would have mistaken for a good-natured grin.


End file.
